A Broken Ace of Hearts
by JustMakeLeftTurns
Summary: Ace has a meltdown about boys and the Doctor has to comfort her. Because, despite her tough exterior and all the adventures she's had, she's still a confused and lonely teenaged girl. Oneshot.


**Disclaimer: I don't own 'Doctor Who.'**

Ace hadn't come out of her room yet, the Doctor noted. He sighed, fiddling with the TARDIS console. He didn't know exactly what happened. All he knew was that Ace was supposed to be on a date with some guy from the 47th century. Obviously, it hadn't worked out the way she'd wanted it.

The Doctor looked towards the general direction of Ace's room. He knew that she'd been trying to have a steady relationship for a while and that it always ended up badly. Either the boy – or girl – got caught in one of their adventures and was frightened off, or he/she didn't like Ace after the first date. The Doctor found himself grinning slightly at that thought. Not many people could handle Ace's personality.

He wanted to leave Ace alone, but he'd done so too many times in the past. Ace was becoming desperate to have a boyfriend or girlfriend, flirting with nearly anyone on nearly every planet they visited. She was becoming reckless and it worried him. The Doctor tapped his finger on the console before nodding to himself. It was time that he and Ace had a talk.

He paused outside the door to Ace's room. One last chance to back out. He finally brought his hand up and knocked gently on the door.

"Go away," Ace croaked.

"Ace," the Doctor called through the door, ignoring Ace. "Can I come in?"

Ignoring whatever Ace said next, the Doctor cautiously opened the door, only to have to duck as an alarm clock was thrown at his head.

"I said, go away!" Ace yelled.

"Oh, Ace," the Doctor sighed.

The girl was curled up on her bed, her cheeks stained with tears and her eyes red. She wasn't dressed in her usual outfit. She seemed to be trying to impress the boy she'd went out with. She had a short skirt on – a bit too short, the Doctor noted – and a form-fitting, low-cut shirt that revealed way too much, in the Doctor's opinion. What was she trying to do, the Doctor wondered furiously as he saw just what she was wearing. Was she trying to have sex on the first date?

This would be the last time he would let Ace leave the TARDIS without him checking her outfit, the Doctor decided.

The Doctor tried to reign in his anger. Right now, he needed to be patient and calm with Ace. He took a breath and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Leave me alone!" Ace sobbed, pushing the Doctor's back half-heartedly. The Doctor didn't budge, and Ace soon gave up. She hid her face in her pillow. It broke the Doctor's heart to see her so upset.

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Ace, hoping that the Doctor would get bored and leave. The Doctor, letting Ace calm down on her own.

"Why doesn't anyone love me?" Ace broke the silence. The Doctor looked down at her. Ace stared at the far wall. "What's so horrible about me that no one loves me?" Her voice broke at the end.

"Love doesn't have to be romantic," the Doctor told her. "And you don't need to have a boyfriend or a girlfriend to be happy." Ace didn't answer. "Ace." The girl ignored him. More forcefully, "Ace, look at me."

The girl obliged, turning onto her back to look up at the Doctor. The Doctor looked her in the eye. "There is absolutely nothing wrong with you. I promise. If a boy can't understand that, then he's not worth it."

Ace sat up. "But I'm obviously not pretty enough. Or maybe I act too much like a boy. Or –"

"Ace," the Doctor sighed. "There is nothing wrong with you." He gazed at her choice of outfit with distaste. "Except, of course, the clothes you are currently wearing."

"What's wrong with my clothes?" Ace demanded.

"Your current outfit leaves little to the imagination," the Doctor said, his previous anger starting to return. But not anger at her, necessarily. Anger at whatever she was thinking. Anger at what her date was probably thinking earlier. "And it's not like you at all to be wearing that."

"I just want to be noticed," Ace protested. "All the boys look at the girls with barely anything on them, so I thought –"

"What?" the Doctor demanded. "You thought what? That a boy would like you more because of what little you're wearing? That's not how it should work, Ace."

"But it's how it works anyway," Ace snapped. "It makes me look more attractive –"

"It makes you look like a slut," the Doctor stated furiously. "Is that what you want? To have sex with everyone who looks at you?"

"If it makes them love me, then yes!" Ace shouted. After realizing what she said, she ducked her head down, ashamed and embarrassed. The Doctor stared at her. When did Ace start thinking like this? Why hadn't he noticed?

"Sex doesn't mean love, Ace," the Doctor said gently, trying to meet Ace's eyes.

"It does to me," Ace replied weakly.

"But it shouldn't. Love is about having fun and enjoying the person you're with and just caring about each other."

The Doctor let the silence fall. He wanted his words to sink in. He wanted Ace to understand.

He was taken completely off guard when Ace suddenly pressed her lips to his. The Doctor didn't move, didn't react; he just let Ace kiss him. It wasn't until she started tugging at his sweater that he pulled away and grabbed her wrists gently.

"Ace," he looked at her. She just stared back at him, eyes watery and desperate and pleading. The Doctor shook his head at her.

"But –"

"This isn't the way you do things, Ace," the Doctor said quietly, keeping eye contact. "Love doesn't mean sex and sex doesn't mean love. I thought you knew that."

"You don't love me," Ace said just as quietly. The Doctor released her wrists.

"I care about you," he told her. "I love you like a daughter." Ace was quiet. "You don't need a boyfriend or a girlfriend to be happy. You just need a friend. And I'd like to think that I'm that friend."

Ace wrapped her arms around the Doctor in a hug. The Doctor hugged her back. When Ace pulled away, she wiped at her eyes.

"Sorry," she said. "And thank you."

The Doctor smiled. "You're very welcome. Now, how about we go visit this planet I've been meaning to explore, where there's supposedly a treasure deep in a forest surrounded by wolves and giant carnivorous butterflies."


End file.
